Part 4

The first room was rather small and circular with a short, stone ceiling and walls. Light filtered in from entrance. A stone lever was perched near the far wall where the shape of a doorway had been cut. Frilly, elvish script was carved into the wall next to the lever. There didn't appear to be any way forward. Twinkle lit a torch which assisted in illuminating the space.

"Oh great," Ox started, "First room and I already have to disgrace my eyes with the language of vermin. Translate it, Twink, but don't you dare say those savage words out loud."

Eadric folded his arms with a *clink* as he watched Twinkle struggle his way forward. It was a well known fact that all elvish people could read, speak and understand elvish, The actual use of it, however, was strictly prohibited. Elves didn't even have to learn it, they just seemed to know the language instinctively. On the contrary, very few humans can read elvish let alone speak it. Most consider the language to be barbaric and beneath them as humans.

Twink crouched next to the lever and squinted to read the inscription.

He spoke with his squeaky voice, "It says: Thou who would enter this sacred home stands before the temple of Ashaya, Goddess of Trials. Whosoever enters shall be unable to depart until the trials have been satisfied."

The companions stood quietly for a few seconds.

"I wonder how big the tits of an elvish goddess are." Ox bluntly mused, breaking the silence.

Gus, seeming to ignore his companion, spoke thoughtfully, "It would seem that if we pull the lever we won't be able to leave until we get to wherever this thing ends."

Eadric contemplated before reassuring his companions, "We have provisions for weeks and decades of experience. I'm confident we can prevail no matter the circumstance. Pull the lever, Twinkle."

Twinkle did as instructed and the room began to shake. The walls shifted and turned. The light from the entrance began to fade as solid stone shifted and blocked the only escape. Twinkle held his torch aloft. The doorway cut into the wall was now clear and led further into the dark. The companions were a bit shaken, but they were fully committed now. Just to illustrate the point, Twinkle pulled on the lever a second time and nothing changed. Whatever trials awaited them below would have to be faced.

Another torch was lit and given to Gus. The companions moved towards the new doorway and down the flight of narrow stairs.

The narrow staircase opened into a tiny room. In the middle was a circular, stone pedestal with four colored, glass cups on it. Blue, yellow, green and red.

Clear liquid filled each cup. The warmth from the blazing torches in the small room worked like little heaters and Eadric felt a bead of sweat forming on his neck. An outline of another door showed on the far wall.

An elvish inscription encircled the pedestal.

Twinkle put the torch close to the script and translated, "Each shall drink from different vessels until thy vessel run dry."

"Awfully convenient that there are four cups and four of us." Gus remarked solemnly.

Eadric nodded before adding, "Filled with fresh liquid too..."

When nobody moved, Ox suggested, "Make the mule go first, this shit could be poisoned."

Eadric motioned for Twinkle who nervously grabbed the blue cup. He stared down at its contents and hesitated. He took a deep breath before swallowing the liquid down.

Twinkle smacked his lips together, "Tastes kind of chalky, but otherwise not bad."

Twinkle began to quiver and he dropped the blue cup to the ground where it shattered. He held his hand to his face and groaned. The companions took a step back and prepared to watch something horrible happen to their elvish slave. Instead, Twinkle's wiry, muscled arms started to bulk up and he grew a few inches taller! He stopped shaking and flexed his biceps which were now veiny and strong. He was no powerhouse, but Twinkle was definitely one of the strongest looking elves Eadric had ever seen. He was having a much easier time holding both heavy packs now.

"I feel strong!" Twinkle gasped while gazing over his body in wonder.

Ox surged forward excitedly, followed closely by Gus. Ox snatched the green cup and gulped it down without hesitating. Gus held the yellow glass and stopped, waiting to see what happened to Ox first.

Ox burped as he saw his companion waiting, "You're a fucking pansy, Gus."

Gus scoffed, "Just shut up and tell me what you're feeling."

Ox's eyes opened wide and his hands shot up to cover them. He clutched as his face while releasing a pained screech.

"It burns!" Ox screamed into the ceiling as he clawed at himself. His glass dropped to the floor and shattered.

"Water, get him some water!" Eadric shouted at Twinkle who fumbled through the bags.

Suddenly, Ox stopped and slowly lifted his head from his hands. He glanced around to each of his companions who had all froze.

Ox grew a huge smile, "Holy shit! My eyes are clear! Everything is clear! I can see you guys perfectly! Whatever was in that glass was magic!"

Magic was something that was extremely rare. If they were after some sort of magical artifact...Eadric definitely knew why the guild was so interested now. He looked down at the innocent liquid in his red glass.

Gus shrugged his shoulders and gulped down the clear fluid in his yellow cup. He gently placed his cup back on the pedestal.

Just like Ox, Gus grabbed at his eyes and screamed. This time, the companions simply waited to see if it would end in the same fashion to Ox. Though it appeared to be the same, Eadric didn't enjoy seeing his friend in pain. Sure enough, Gus stopped after a few seconds of agony and looked around. His eyes had changed! They were yellow and looked like they belonged on a cat!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nRCrX0-I3-Y46DVm0-dQ21zz_2sKvI6V/view?usp=drive_link

"I-I can see you guys as if it were daytime!" Gus stammered, "I think I can see in the dark!"

Ox gripped [i]Tempest[/i] as he spoke to his friend with a smile, "That's awesome, man! Should be really useful for us going forward. Maybe this place is all bark and no bite?"

Eadric shot one last apprehensive look at his liquid before tipping the glass up and swallowing the contents down. It wasn't chalky like Twinkle described. Eadric's liquid was extremely sweet, almost like honey.

He placed his red glass back on the pedestal next to Gus'. His body began to quiver just like Twinkle's had. A wave of cold shot through him and he started feeling heavier. Eadric exhaled sharply and the muscles on his body contracted and shrank. He could physically feel himself getting smaller and weaker. His plate armor became more and more cumbersome. Not only had the muscles in his body shrunk, but he had lost a few inches in height as well! He was just a hair above six feet. Thankfully, his armor covered all the changes to his muscles and it was not readily apparent to his companions who watched him with concern.

"You good, boss?" Gus asked behind his new yellow, cat eyes.

Ox stood next to Eadric and looked down, "You lost a few inches there, boss. Eh what's two inches in height?"

Eadric took a deep breath and gave off a quick chuckle, "I'm still big enough to crush you! I bet this is the type of magic that will fade away with time, so don't get too used to it boys!"

Ox seemed to agree as he nodded his head with a grin, "Wouldn't be so bad if my new, clear eyes stuck around!"

The far door had opened up leading further into the dungeon. Twinkle was still marveling at his new strength while Eadric was panicking internally. Nobody needed to know his muscles had shrunk. He would just wait for the magic to fade away. Eadric adjusted the executioners mask beneath his helmet and took a deep breath. He walked forward, following his companions into the new room. He cradled [i]Blightsteel[/i] in his hands, noticing how much heavier it felt. He just had to hold out until he was back to normal and pretend everything was fine.